Thursday, January 26, 2017

What's Next?

We are almost a month into 2017 and I am trying to plow through as many books as possible.

Completed in January 2017:

A SIMPLE FAVOR by Darcey Bell
A GAMBLER'S ANATOMY by Jonathan Lethem
THE ROANOKE GIRLS by Amy Engel
NIGHT OF FIRE by Colin Thubron
NEWS OF THE WORLD by Paulette Jiles

I am also thisclose to finishing PRESENT OVER PERFECT by Shauna Niequist.

Of my completed January reads, I would recommend NIGHT OF FIRE and NEWS OF THE WORLD. I was surprised by NEWS OF THE WORLD. I really didn't like Jiles' COLOR OF LIGHTNING and didn't even finish it. NEWS OF THE WORLD was short but sweet. A lovely character study of an old man and his unlikely connection with a young rescued Native American captive. NIGHT OF FIRE was fantastic. It was almost like a collection of short stories loosely held together by a fire. In the story, a divided Victorian building catches on fire. During the night of fire, the reader visits each of the apartments and learns the stories of the inhabitants. I was completely drawn in by the book. And I ended up with lots of questions! I handed my copy off to my friend Megan and I hope we can have a good discussion when she finishes it.

Although I really enjoy Lethem and think he is a gifted writer, GAMBLER'S ANATOMY was not one of my favorites. A SIMPLE FAVOR tried too hard to be the next GONE GIRL. It would be a good vacation read but is ultimately forgettable. THE ROANOKE GIRLS was a big disappointment. It sounded so intriguing! I am always a sucker for "family secret" books (as my regular readers know.) This one was over the top. The family secret was too extreme and the whole book just didn't work.

Looking forward to seeing what February brings!

I am really craving books that will inspire me and comfort me this year. Non-fiction and fiction. So, what do YOU recommend I read next?

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Welcome to Life by Candlelight. This is the home of the "BOTTOM LINE" book review! I've been blogging since 2003 and have worked in public and privates libraries since 2000. Find tidbits about my life, book reviews and other things currently whirling around in my brain. Unless otherwise stated, all books are either library or personal copies. I specialize in contemporary literary fiction with the occasional children's book review.

For review purposes, Children refers to books appropriate for ages 7 and under, Young Reader refers to books appropriate for ages 8-12 and Young Adult refers to books for ages 13 and up.